Hey readers! So allow me to explain my reasons for creating this story. I recently purchased the FFX HD edition and remembered why I love this game so much! However, listening to the audio drama for "FFX-3" I thought it was absolute garbage, so I decided to create me own version of X-3!
This chapter is kind of a Beta-Test if you will. I want to gauge reader reviews/follows before I decide to continue. So as you read please, please, please leave your opinions, love it or hate it! I don't care I want to hear either one!
I do hope you enjoy tho as I have plenty of plans to take this story far!
Enjoy!
"Will you sit down and breathe for a minute?! You're gonna wear out the carpet, ya?"
Tidus groaned audibly and dropped down beside his best friend Wakka, ducking his head between his trembling legs. Wakka gave the blonde, spiky haired young man a queer look before releasing a loud, bellowing laugh.
"Man, you look more nervous than a newbie during his first qualifying match!" Wakka teased, mussing Tidus's already messy hair with his large hand.
"How were you not as nervous as I am now!?" Tidus retaliated, his voice taking on the hint of a whine. Wakka smiled gently, closing his eyes and musing to himself as if reliving a fond memory. "I was brudda, believe me. It's just funny to see it happening to you too."
Tidus frowned, unimpressed by his friend's lack of sympathy. He glanced briefly at the thin tapestry that segregated himself and Wakka from the….'proceedings' occurring in the next room.
"Should we go in there? I mean just to check? It's been a long time," Tidus began to babble nervously.
"Nah," Wakka waved his hand dismissively. "Lu's got it under control, she's an old pro at stuff like this."
"Wakka?" Tidus began again after a few minutes of nervous leg shaking. "What if I'm not good enough?"
"Huh? What are ya talkin' about?"
"I don't know," Tidus rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, causing spots to dance in front of his eyes. "I just keep thinking about Jecht. My old man….He sure wasn't a great example. I don't know if I'm gonna be good enough. I don't know what a good father's supposed to be!"
"Sure ya do!" Wakka proclaimed, grinning widely. "It doesn't matter than your own father wasn't there to give you advice. You are a good man, Tidus. A good man knows how to treat other people and how to be a leader. That's all you need to teach your little one, ya?"
Tidus clenched his jaw tightly, curbing the desire to engulf his friend with a giant bear hug.
" 'Sides," Wakka continued, crossing his burly arms over his even bigger chest. "My parents died when I was little, ya? I've still done a pretty good job of raisin' Vidina, dontcha think?"
Tidus nodded solemnly, lacking a retort that was befitting his usual buoyancy. Wakka's six-year old son was quite an interesting character. In shape and voice he resembled Wakka to a tee, however he was a very serious child, with an already an unusually strong sense of good behavior and responsibility. Either Lulu's parenting was unequivocally matched, or her somber personality was strong enough to pass on through genetics. Probably both, Tidus decided, picturing the former Black Mage in his mind's eye.
His reverie was interrupted as Wakka slapped him on the back encouragingly, sending him lurching forward and barely managing to catch himself before he faceplanted on the floor. "Just wait till you see the little guy's face. It's gonna change your whole world."
Tidus swallowed even more nervously than before, "Yeah?"
Wakka nodded, smiling melancholically, "Yeah brudda. When you see his eyes, or touch his little hand for the first time…You realize just how much you could love somethin'."
Tidus decided to ignore the fact that it was bizarre to hear his brutish buddy speaking so sappily, and instead tried to convince himself that when the moment did come; he would feel the same.
There was a soft rustle of fabric and Lulu appeared in the doorway when the roughspun, rug was hung, "She's ready to see you now. Come."
Tidus felt as if his stomach had just dropped out of his body. He stood on legs that felt as if made of water and made his way shakily towards Lulu who, for once, was gracing him with a tender smile. He shuffled his way past her, finding his way to meet her intense ruby gaze for reassurance. She nodded at him, that tiny smile still curving her dark, purple lips. Tidus took one last breath to steady himself and crossed the threshold to enter the room.
She lay on a bed covered with ornate quilts (donated by various Besaid citizens Tidus knew) pressed up against the far wall. She cradled a tiny, white bundle in her arms, too small for Tidus to see clearly what the person that existed inside it looked like from where he stood.
She looked up at the sound of his entrance and smiled brightly as their eyes met, "Tidus."
Feeling a wave of strengthening relief wash through him at the sound of her voice, he hurried to the bedside and knelt beside it, wrapping one arm around her small shoulders and pressing his lips to her forehead.
"Yuna," he breathed, drawing back to examine her face. She looked tired; her skin was more pale than usual and her eyes had dark, shadows beneath them; but a brilliant smile was making her face glow more brightly than he had ever seen before. "Is everything ok? How do you feel?"
"I'm fine," she assured him, in spite of her fatigued appearance. "Are you ready to meet her?"
"Yeah," Tidus nodded slowly, leaning forward to get a better look at what lay nestled inside the bundle in Yuna's arms. "Wait! It's a girl?!"
Yuna nodded, tilting her head to the side apprehensively, "You're not…disappointed are you?"
"No! Nononononononono!" Tidus scrambled to regain his composure. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I guess I just had myself convinced it'd be a boy that I could teach to play Bliztball, like…. Like my old man."
"What makes you think that she won't want to play?" Yuna retorted, cocking an eyebrow at him. Tidus felt his face turning red, "She could! I mean that'd be fine! Awesome, I mean. I didn't mean—Ugh…I'm a mess right now, I'm sorry."
Yuna giggled and leaned forward to peck him on the cheek. He smiled apologetically at her before reaching forward and adjusting the fabric of the bundle in order to finally catch a glimpse of his new daughter. The baby had a small, pink face with large, plump cheeks and a tiny button nose. A thick fuzz of dark, brown hair covered her head, matching long dark lashes that fluttered lightly as she slept. Tidus felt an enormous wave of awe and affection fill him.
"She looks just like you," he found himself murmuring as he reached out to brush her fat cheeks with the tips of his fingers. The moment he made contact the baby girl opened her eyes to reveal bright blue irises, the color of a summer ocean.
"But she has your eyes," Yuna added causing Tidus to grin unabashedly. The baby's bright eyes met Tidus' own and in that moment he knew that what Wakka said had been true. He wanted nothing more than to teach this little girl everything he knew about life. He wanted to protect her and make her laugh with his silly antics. He wanted her to achieve whatever it was she set out to do with her life.
"We still have to name her," Yuna prodded gently, recalling Tidus from his thoughts. He nodded and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "Man, I was so prepared for a boy that I don't think I really considered any girls names."
He adjusted himself to sit on the edge of the bed and gazed hard at the girl in the bundle who's bright, azure eyes were still trained on him.
"What about…Lumina?" he suggested. Yuna looked up at him, inquisitive, "How did you come up with that?"
"Well," he began a bit sheepishly. "I guess it's cause of her eyes. They're luminescent. Gods, is that super cheesy?"
Yuna smiled at him, "No. I think it's perfect." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders once more and leaned down, kissing her gently.
"Do you think we're ready to do this?" He asked when they separated, still nervous about the prospect of parenthood.
"I'm not sure," Yuna admitted, pausing for a moment to contemplate. Finally she leaned against him with a sigh, "But being unprepared….Well, that's never stopped us before."
Tidus laughed in agreement. Playing with Lumina's stubby, little fingers he murmured, "Welcome to Spira, Lumina."
The couple watched their baby gurgle quietly for a few minutes more before Wakka's booming voice made its way through the fabric doorway, "Can we come in yet? I'm dyin' out here!"
"Come in!" Tidus replied, laughing. "Come meet Lumina."
2 weeks old…
The crying broke through Tidus' restless sleep for what must have been the thousandth time in one week. Lumina wasn't fussy much during the daylight hours, but the minute darkness came she collapsed into a ball of screams and tears that went on for unpredictable amounts of time several times a night. It was always Yuna or Lulu (who had offered to stay with the new parents in their own cabin a couple nights a week in order to provide veteran assistance), who elected to get up and calm the child. Tidus felt guilty for letting the women do all of the hard work while he mainly played with Lumina during the day, only occasionally assigned to diaper duty. By the same token, he was also grateful he had managed to escape nighttime calming sessions up to this point; chiefly because he had no idea what it would take to put Lumina back to sleep. Tidus was already unconfident in his parenting abilities, but even Yuna seemed to have difficulties comforting the weeping child on particularly brutal nights. Only Lulu seemed to have the magic touch that would put the baby girl back to sleep within minutes. In fact, Tidus hadn't yet ruled out that she wasn't indeed using some sort of sleep spell to achieve her ends.
This particular night, however, Tidus was forced to face his fears. As soon as Lumina's cries filled the small cabin, Tidus tensed, waiting for Lulu to rise from her makeshift cot and allow them another hour of sleep. It took him a moment before he realized that tonight was not one of the night's Lulu had agreed to stay with them. Eyes widening at the realization, he rolled over to look at Yuna who was buried deep in their blankets, stirring slightly, but obviously reluctant to rise. As guilt overcame him, Tidus got up from the bed, whispering, "I got it" and crossed the floor of their tiny cabin to stand next to the woven, wooden crib in which Lumina was squirming, angry tears dripping from her blue eyes. Gently he reached down and cradled her in his arms, taking extra care to support her head as per Yuna's instructions.
"Hey, Lumina," he cooed softly. "Hey, calm down now. Everything's ok. Go to sleep."
Lumina's cries seemed only to worsen as he continued to murmur senseless nothings to her. He wondered fleetingly if he had been this fussy as a child. Suddenly, an idea came to him, born from the memories of his own childhood. He carried Lumina to the window and stood directly in the middle of the silver, pool of moonlight that spilled through it. There, he cleared his throat and began to hum the best impression he could of the Hymn of the Fayth. During his life in Zanarkand, Tidus had always hummed the song to calm himself; and when he rediscovered the music in Spira, listening to it being sung by the Fayth themselves had achieved the same hypnotic affect.
As he hummed steadily, Lumina's teary eyes trained themselves on his face and her cries lessened until they eventually ceased all together. Cheering in silent victory, Tidus continued to hum the song, rocking Lumina gently as he had seen Yuna and Lulu do countless times. Lumina's eyelids began to droop, her long dark lashes fluttering up and down rapidly as she struggled to remain conscious.
Tidus remained by the window with her, humming until he was certain that she was asleep, before returning her gently to the crib and tucking a warm blanket around her. He tiptoed back across the cabin floor, avoiding the loose, squeaky floorboard, and crawled back into his own bed, grinning from ear to ear as he adjusted his pillows. Yuna rolled over to face him, eyes still closed as she asked sleepily, "Is she ok?"
"She's good," Tidus responded, smile widening as Yuna scooted closer and snuggled against his side. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her hair whispering, "Ya know what? I think we can do this."
1 year old…
"C'mon Yuna the beach is the perfect place to really let her test her walk! If she falls, the sand is nice and soft." Tidus didn't wait for his wife's reply as he scooped Lumina up in his arms and hurried out the door.
"Tidus!" Yuna looked worried, but Lulu gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, smiling and murmuring, "He's right you know. I know it seems unorthodox, but Wakka did the same thing with Vidina and now I can't get that boy off the beach."
"That's what I'm worried about," Yuna grumbled a bit sullenly. Nonetheless, she relented and followed Tidus to the beach, Lulu in tow with a reserved seven-year-old Vidina.
"Alright Lumina, today's the big day!"
By the time Yuna and Lulu caught up to Tidus he was well underway with his inspirational pep talk.
"Yuna!" Tidus beckoned when he saw them arrive. "Come over here, I need your help."
Tidus knelt on the white sand, standing Lumina on her tip toes with gentle hands; the baby was babbling gleefully, clueless as to what was expected of her at this crucial moment. Yuna knelt opposite of them and stretched out her arms, calling Lumina to her with an enthusiastically. The little girl blinked at her mother with large, sparkling eyes before carefully placing one pudgy foot out on the sand in front of her.
"Great!" Tidus cheered supporting her less and less as she took more steps away from him. "Keep going!"
With a final shaky step, she fell into Yuna's arms and giggled excitedly when her parents praised her lavishly.
Lulu watched from a distance as the young couple excitedly began the process over again. Vidina stood by her side observing quietly. The Black Mage gave her son a fond look before placing a hand on his orange, spiky haired head and murmuring, "I want you to do something very important for me Vidina."
The boy looked up at her with large, brown eyes, "Yeah, ma?"
"I need you to look out for Lumina as she grows up. You are much older than her and you must be sure to guide her. Will you do that for me?"
Vidina nodded as seriously as if he were making a solemn oath, "I'll look out for her, promise."
"Good boy," Lulu praised as she turned her attention back to the small family on the beach. That little girl will need Guardians of her own. Her parents' legacy could easily cause her more pain than glory.
5 years old…
"Alright team, let's break for lunch. Meet back here in an hour." Tidus made his announcement to the team of exhausted Aurochs before turning towards the forest pathway that led back into town. Since his return to Besaid five years ago, he had replaced Wakka as Captain of the Besaid Aurochs. At first, he had allowed the team easy and occasional practices as he was more distracted with adjusting to life on the island again and then Lumina had been born and he had spent the majority of his time with her. However, now the time was right for him to turn the Aurochs into a respectable team and he planned to make it to the Spira National Cup match that was scheduled to take place in Luca four years from now. It seemed like plenty of time, but Tidus had a feeling it would be barely enough to turn his ragtag team of islanders into national pros. As he approached the wooded path, he registered two people walking towards him. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was Yuna, followed closely by Rikku who carried her own three-year-old, Calli, in her arms. Tidus was about to call out and ask where Lumina was, when he saw the endless ball of energy that was his daughter, barreling past the two women and coming straight for him.
"Papa!" she called as she leapt wildly into the air, flying into his open arms and knocking them both to the ground in a heap of giggles.
"Wow," Rikku exclaimed as they approached the wrestling pair. "I think yours has more energy than mine!"
Yuna smiled at her cousin, "I might be inclined to agree with you."
Rikku knelt down, allowing Calli to stumble towards Lumina and Tidus, falling on top of the pile to join in the fun.
"Oh Yunie!" Rikku squealed as she watched the chaos. "This is so cute! Babies on the beach!"
"Who you callin' a baby?" Tidus snorted, finally managing to right himself as the girls became distracted by a stray bliztball that lay nearby.
"Well I was referring to the little girls," Rikku replied, placing her hands on her hip. "But now that you mention it…."
"Alright, twerp," Tidus rose to his feet, grinning ruefully and preparing to tackle the Al Bhed as well, when Lumina tugged on his pant leg to draw his attention.
"Papa, will you teach me to throw a Bliztball?"
Tidus looked down to see his daughter struggling to offer him the hefty ball, her expression earnest and hopeful.
"Of course!" he exclaimed, thrilled that his dream passing on his love for the sport might actually come to fruition. Taking the ball out of Lumina's tiny hands, he ordered her to stay where she was, while he took a large step back. Kneeling so as to reduce the possible velocity of the ball, he tossed a gentle, underhanded pass that caught Lumina right in the chest, knocking her unceremoniously into the sand. Before either of her parents could move to assist her, the brown haired girl scrambled to her feet, a large smile filling up her face, "My turn!"
Tidus laughed loudly, crouching low and reaching for the ball when Lumina tossed it feebly through the air. Calli watched from her mother's side, sucking on her own thumb amiably. The game of toss continued, eventually drawing the attention of the returning Blitzers, including Vidina who often spent the majority of his time playing with the team despite the fact that he was too young to become an official member. He too, helped in giving Lumina advice on her throw and offered to set her on her feet when the ball knocker her over again. She seemed determined to succeed on her own, however, and pushed aside his attempts to set her upright, deigning instead to struggle to her feet by her own volition. As the game continued, Tidus was sure he'd never been more proud of the determination his little girl showed that day. Needless to say, not much more official team practice was conducted that afternoon.
9 years old…
"You keepin' up?"
"Yeah," was the only response Lumina could muster since all of the oxygen seemed to have left her body miles ago. Her father jogged a few paces ahead of her, his figure difficult to make out in the early morning darkness. The sand along the shoreline pulled at her shoes, making every step feel as heavy as a rock.
"It's important for a Blizter to be a strong runner. It's good practice for breath control and endurance," he'd told her when she began training with him a few months prior. She was becoming a decent swimmer as well, although her mother didn't like her to go out past the docks when she was swimming in the ocean, even if Vidina or her father was with her.
"Hey, we gotta hurry!" Tidus exclaimed suddenly. "We're gonna miss the sunrise if we don't make it to Gull Hill in time!"
He began to jog faster, the sand kicked up from his heels and hit Lumina in the face, sending her spluttering and veering off course. Upon wiping the grime from her eyes she looked up to see her father already across the beach and charging up the stone steps to reach the top of the hill. A fire of pure will and determination charged her lead-filled legs and she hurtled after him, pushing herself past pain and weariness. She needed to see that sunrise, it was the best part of their morning runs; and it would be the last one they would see together before the Nationals Match. It was a special sunrise and she could not miss it. When she finally reached Gull Hill, Tidus was already there sitting at the top, cross legged and still as if in deep meditation. She jogged up beside him and collapsed struggling to catch her breath, leaning against her father's shoulder for support. He grinned and mussed her hair affectionately, "You're getting better and better the more we practice, squirt. You're gonna be an excellent Blizter someday."
Lumina felt her exhaustion drain away quick as the tide as his words of praise filled her with joy. The two sat in peaceful silence, watching as the golden sun slowly began to leak through the morning clouds, painting the sky a rosy, pink as if the sky were catching fire. Lumina looked up at her father, the sun illuminating his bronzed skin and highlighting his spiky, golden hair. He had always looked like a legendary hero to her, even before she had learned of the long journey he had gone on to become a powerful Guardian.
"Papa? Are you worried about the match tomorrow?"
He grinned at her, shoving her lightly in the shoulder as he spoke, "Of course not! Are you doubting your old man now?"
She shook her head furiously, her short brown hair flopping around her ears, "No! But Vidina told me the Luca Goers are a really tough team."
"Ahh Vidina's always been a worry-wart," Tidus eschewed waving his hand as if to blow away the comment. "No one out there is tougher than your old man. But you have to promise to cheer for me, kay?"
"Yeah!" Lumina agreed. "I will!"
"As loud as you can?"
"Louder than I can!"
Tidus chuckled and reached behind his head, unclasping the lock that held his silver, chain necklace in place.
"Here," he said reaching around to hang it around Lumina's neck. "I think it's about time you started carrying this."
Lumina looked down, the sun made the small, finely crafted links sparkle brilliantly; and at the end of the necklace was the twisted, cross-like symbol her father always wore on the pants of his uniform.
"It's the symbol of our family," he told her placing a warm hand atop her head. "When you wear this, you carry our legacy. You think you're ready for that?"
Lumina nodded wordlessly, the lump of emotion in her throat making it impossible to construct a verbal response.
"Good," Tidus nodded solemnly, mussing her hair once more. "You wear that and I'll never be far away."
The two turned back towards the rising sun, enjoying the few moments they had together before the hectic atmosphere of the Championships would consume Tidus' attention.
"Alright! Let's go practice the Mark III Shot before your mom gets mad at us for sneaking out again!" Tidus leapt to his feet and charged back towards the beach, Lumina scrambling to her feet and loping after him.
The moment Lumina stepped of the Celsius airship and onto the streets of Luca, was one she would never forget. For nine years she had grown accustomed to the quiet and slow style of life branded on Besaid Island. The bustle of bodies and shouting and lights and smells and colors of the big city literally took her breath away. She stood motionless at the bottom of the airships drawbridge, so stimulated she was unsure of what sense to act on first. Yuna came to her rescue, taking her hand and leading her through the busy streets as Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, and Vidina formed a loose barricade around them. Lumina knew vaguely that her mother and father were well known, but it shocked her to see so many people turning to call her mother's name loudly, or point and stare as they walked by. Her normally bombastic demeanor became much more hushed as the attention began to overwhelm her. She walked closer to her mother's side whose hand tightened around hers reassuringly. Vidina was quickly at her side as well, offering Lumina an encouraging smile as they walked.
By the time they reached the stadium, Lumina was ready to jump out of her skin. She looked around anxiously, searching for her father in the sea of muscular, uniformed Blitzer's wandering to and fro. She heard his voice before she saw him, calling out to them and waving frantically as he shoved his way through the crowd. Lumina ran forward to meet him, jumping into his arms and burying her face into his shoulder.
"Hey there, squirt," he laughed carrying her back towards the others and greeting Yuna with a quick peck.
"How're the boys?" Wakka asked moving forward to clap Tidus on the back.
"Nervous," Tidus laughed. "But they'll be fine once they get into the water."
"You'd better knock those Goers out!" Rikku cheered, pumping her fists in the air.
"You got it!" Tidus gave her a thumbs up.
"Watch out for their ace," Vidina piped up, the fourteen-year-old gazed at Tidus admirably as he spoke. "His name's Greer and he's supposedly a really ruthless player. He gets away with a lot of penalty fouls too."
Her father patted Vidina on the shoulder, "I know about Greer. He's tough but he's got no real strategy, we'll waste him."
Vidina didn't look convinced but nodded quietly nonetheless.
"Well, I should get going," Tidus said as he glanced quickly at the clocktower. "Wish me luck everyone!"
"Be safe," Yuna murmured placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her and knelt to set Lumina on the ground, placing his hands on her shoulders as he did.
"You remember your promise to cheer for me?" he asked. She nodded fiercely, "Loud as I can."
"Louder."
She hugged him quickly, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck. He hugged her back, kissing her on the fore head before rising to his feet and waving to the group.
"Alright, catch ya guys after the game!" With that he turned on his heel and jogged back into the crowd.
"C'mon," RIkku said heading towards the stadium doors. "Let's find some good seats!"
(Optional Musical Accompaniment: watch?v=27k8SNx2U-k)
The game was intense. Lumina had watched her father practice with the Aurochs on the beach hundreds of times, but watching Bliztball be played in the giant water filled stadium was both a beautiful and terrifying experience. Water swirled around the players as they glided through the sphere, as graceful as dolphins. Tackles were fierce and a few players ended up leaving the stadium due to injuries. Lumina followed her father's plays on the large screen hung above the stadium.
The score was 4-3 in favor of the Goers at the end of the second quarter. Lumina knew it wouldn't be long before her father decided to pull out his signature move, the Magnificent Mark III Shot. In fact the moment she thought this, she saw him order the formation to his teammates as they prepared to set up the ball for him. Raff stole the ball from a Goer and began to swim vigorously towards Tidus. As he closed the distance, he threw it with all of his might, however his aim was off and Tidus had to adjust his position. Lumina knew that the Mark III would not be possible unless he could get above the water. What none of them saw was Greer, the Goers Ace, swimming at top speed from the opposite goal, coming directly for the ball. There was a flurry of bubbles as he collided with Tidus. Lumina could not see the details of the struggle through the swirling of the water; but suddenly there was a cry from the opposite side of the stadium and Lumina watched with horror as blood filled the water.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the screen cleared and Lumina was able to make out the figure of her father, floating lifelessly in the water a cloud of red billowing around his temple. Yuna hands flew to her mouth and Rikku let out a scream. Chaos erupted in the stadium and the screen flashed a warning message before going blank. A voice sounded over the loudspeaker asking patrons to remain calm as medics were called to assess the situation. Lumina could feel a scream erupting from within her throat as the impact of the situation finally registered in her brain. Before she could make a move to run to her father's aid, Vidina had her in his arms, carrying her towards the exit of the stadium as Wakka, Lulu, Rikku and her mother hurried towards the Sphere.
"No!" She shouted, punching Vidina with her tiny fists and struggling to escape his iron grip. "No! GO back! Go back! Vidina!"
Her blows had no effect on the boy's burly frame. He only gripped her tighter and moved faster towards the exit, shoving terrified crowd members out of his way.
"Go back! No!" Lumina's throat grew raw with her screams, tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision.
"PAPA!"
Interested in a continuation? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!